When he announced that wide receiver Ryan Broyles would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and that wide receiver Titus Young was no longer “in the mix” for playing time, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said that the team would have to make a roster move to add depth at the position.

They made that move, although they didn’t sign a free agent following the familiar Tuesday tryout. Kris Durham has been promoted from the practice squad to fill the roster spot vacated by Broyles.

Durham was a fourth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2011, but played in just three games for the team before ending the season on injured reserve thanks to a shoulder injury. Durham had three catches in those games — they actually all came in a Week Two loss — and lost out in the battle for roster spots in camp this summer. The Lions signed him to their practice squad just after final cuts.

Durham’s height, Durham is listed at 6-6, has always been intriguing and he could get a chance to make an impression as the Lions play out the string. Mike Thomas is expected to see a bump in playing time with Broyles out of the lineup, but Durham knows the offense so he’d be ready for action if the Lions decide to give him any.

After the Detroit Lions' 35-33 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1. We've had plenty of offseason discussions about the value of defensive backs relative to pass rush in the NFL's current passing era. A reasonable argument can be made that an elite pass rush, as the Lions have displayed at times, can better protect an average group of cover men than if the situation were reversed. Perhaps that's why the Lions have felt comfortable cobbling together their secondary on a yearly basis under general manager Martin Mayhew. Sometimes it has worked, but Sunday it was a big reason for the Lions' loss. Veteran cornerback Drayton Florence gave up receiver LaVon Brazill's 42-yard fourth-quarter touchdown in a situation where the cornerback's only job is to keep the receiver from getting behind him. Florence was signed just before the start of the season and clearly was available for a reason. I'm not blaming Florence for the loss and I'm not saying an elite cornerback couldn't also get beat in that situation. I'm saying that a patchwork secondary has its risks, and Sunday we saw what can happen. If you're playing a corner who can't cover in a prevent-style defense, and you're playing him because you realized at the end of training camp that you needed more help than you gave yourself in the offseason, then, well, you probably deserve the result.

2. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had an indisputably great game. The Colts lost yardage on four of his six tackles. He had one sack, hit Luck six times and batted down a pass. It's hard to ask for more than that from a defensive tackle in a regulation game. Perhaps you could question why one of those hits didn't come on the last play of the game, when Andrew Luck seeped through the pocket long enough to find receiver Donnie Avery for the game-winning score, but you could say that about everyone on the Lions roster in some way. We noted earlier that Colts guard Mike McGlynn was furious with Suh for what he viewed as celebrating the concussion of teammate Winston Justice, but I haven't seen a replay yet. It's not visible on the version the NFL puts on its Game Rewind feature. McGlynn isn't the first opponent to accuse Suh of such antics, but at this point there is nothing conclusive we can say.

3. I know there has been plenty of debate about the Lions' playcall on third down just after the two-minute warning. A conversion would have sealed the game for the Lions, but Mikel Leshoure's one-yard run ensured the Colts would get one final possession. Coach Jim Schwartz played it by the book, opting to run down the clock with the Colts out of timeouts rather than attempt a pass considering there was five yards to go. (It should be noted that quarterback Matthew Stafford had hit only one of his six attempts in the fourth quarter.) I think this is one of those situations where people would be upset with whatever Schwartz decided if it didn't work. Don't forget the 2010 game against the New York Jets, when an incomplete pass by quarterback Drew Stanton late in the game provided the Jets ample time on their final possession. Sunday, the ball was at midfield and the Colts were going to have no more than 1 minute, 14 seconds to work with. The Lions were let down by a poor directional punt by Nick Harris and atrocious defense on the final drive.

And here is one issue I still don't get:If the season ended today, the Lions would have the No. 8 overall pick in the 2013 draft. And amazingly, we could craft a relatively long list of needs for a team that returned 21 of 22 starters this season because it believed itself close to contending for a championship. Nate Burleson's injury, Titus Young's maturity and concern over Ryan Broyles' knee makes receiver a surprisingly thin position. As we just discussed, the Lions are paying this season for the little attention they've paid to their secondary. Allowing four fourth-quarter comebacks is indicative of poor pass coverage when it was required. And you wonder who among the Lions' long list of pending free agents on defense, from Cliff Avril to DeAndre Levy to Justin Durant to Louis Delmas to Chris Houston, will need to be replaced as well.

Report: James Starks season could be overPosted by Curtis Crabtree on December 4, 2012, 11:10 PM EST

With running back Cedric Benson already lost for the season, the Green Bay Packers may be taking another hit to their backfield depth.

According to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com, James Starks suffered a knee injury in the Packers win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

“It’s not an ACL,” a source told Wilde.

The report also said that the initial word on the injury is that it would not require surgery. But with just four games left to play, the Packers may place Starks on injured reserve to open a roster spot for someone who could actually help them down the stretch.

Starks put together one of his better games this season against the Vikings. Starks carried 15 times for 66 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown, in the Packers 23-14 victory.

The stable of running backs behind Starks is less than stellar. Alex Green has started four games for the Packers after Benson was lost for the year. Green has 109 carries for 360 yards and 15 catches for 122 yards but has not reached the end zone.

DuJuan Harris and Johnny White are the only other running backs on the roster and neither has a single carry for the team this season.

While I would love for this to be the case, I just don't see it. The Lions haven't won there this Century (or 2 decades, whichever you prefer). A person born the last year they won in WI (1991) would be legal to drink this year. Think about that for a minute....21 years since the Lion's last victory at GB. And let's not forget the Packers have something to play for as their in a battle with Chicago for the division crown. I fear it will be a one-sided affair for the home team.

Allen Park — The Lions, out of necessity, have had to do a quick makeover at the receiver position.

With Ryan Broyles and Titus Young going on season-ending injured reserve, the Lions have replaced them with Kris Durham, who had been on the practice squad, and Lance Long, the Utica Eisenhower product who was cut at the end of training camp.

Earlier, Mike Thomas and Brian Robiskie were brought in to replace Nate Burleson, who went down with a broken leg.

And to think, the Lions' top three receivers a year ago didn't miss a game.

Long, who was tagged with the nickname "Vanilla Gorilla" in training camp by receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, has been with four other teams since 2008 — Arizona, Kansas City, Jacksonville and San Francisco. He has 20 career catches for 178 yards.

Durham, who was quarterback Matthew Stafford's teammate at Georgia for three seasons, has three career receptions with the Seahawks, who drafted him in the fourth round.

On Tuesday, the Lions also signed former Vikings safety Tyrell Johnson.

While I would love for this to be the case, I just don't see it. The Lions haven't won there this Century (or 2 decades, whichever you prefer). A person born the last year they won in WI (1991) would be legal to drink this year. Think about that for a minute....21 years since the Lion's last victory at GB. And let's not forget the Packers have something to play for as their in a battle with Chicago for the division crown. I fear it will be a one-sided affair for the home team.

I'm a biased lions fan. Real prediction is in the neighborhood of 34-21 gb

I see no way we win this one. Ill cheer em' on to the end, but I see no way we win. And i think after last weeks game, this teams motivation is out the window.

I don't see any lack of motivation occurring. But, I don't see us as having any chance to win in Lambaugh this year. That said, just watch the Lions pull a classic and win a game that they have no business winning.

Allen Park — The Lions, out of necessity, have had to do a quick makeover at the receiver position.

With Ryan Broyles and Titus Young going on season-ending injured reserve, the Lions have replaced them with Kris Durham, who had been on the practice squad, and Lance Long, the Utica Eisenhower product who was cut at the end of training camp.

Earlier, Mike Thomas and Brian Robiskie were brought in to replace Nate Burleson, who went down with a broken leg.

And to think, the Lions' top three receivers a year ago didn't miss a game.

Long, who was tagged with the nickname "Vanilla Gorilla" in training camp by receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, has been with four other teams since 2008 — Arizona, Kansas City, Jacksonville and San Francisco. He has 20 career catches for 178 yards.

Durham, who was quarterback Matthew Stafford's teammate at Georgia for three seasons, has three career receptions with the Seahawks, who drafted him in the fourth round.

On Tuesday, the Lions also signed former Vikings safety Tyrell Johnson.

Allen Park — You kept waiting for the punch line. You kept waiting for him to flash that mega-watt smile and say, "Nah, man, I'm just messing with you."

But Willie Young wasn't joking. He seriously contemplated having the middle finger on his left hand amputated.

"Two weeks ago I was like, 'Yeah, let's get rid of it,'" he said. "But it's a little better now, so maybe I will keep it."

Young sliced the finger at the top knuckle making a tackle on Green Bay's James Starks three weeks ago. Looking at it Friday, it is still a grotesque sight. It's hard to imagine how bad it looked at the time.

Young said the finger was cut to the bone and some nerves were severed. It was too deep to even bother with stitches. He said his only treatment has been to soak it in various chemicals and disinfectants.

"This is the part nobody sees; they don't understand this kind of stuff," he said.

The injury occurred late in the second quarter and though he knew something was wrong, he refused to take off the glove he was wearing.

"I refused to look at it," he said. "I said we will worry about it when the game is over. When I did take that glove off, this is not what I was expecting to see. But this is what I have to deal with."

Young has not missed a practice or a game.

"I just tape it up and eat the pain," he said.

How bad is the pain?

"On a scale of one to ten," he said, "nine point nine, nine, nine, nine."

ALLEN PARK -- Just because Kris Durham was promoted off the practice squad earlier this week, doesn't mean the wide receiver isn't ready to contribute right away for the Detroit Lions.

Durham has a few factors working in his favor. First and foremost, he's been getting plenty of practice reps the past several weeks.

"I think the carryover is that Kris Durham has probably caught more passes in practice than any other receiver that we've had because he's been out there practicing," coach Jim Schwartz said. "We went through about a month where Calvin (Johnson) barely practiced at all and we talked about Titus (Young) before, Titus wasn't practicing very much. Nate Burleson went down and Kris got a lot of Calvin's plays in practice."

Beyond the steady work on the practice field, Durham has a great relationship with Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. The two were part of the same recruiting class, and eventually roomed together, at the University of Georgia.

Since joining the Lions practice squad back in September, Durham has been living with Stafford. The friendship has been helpful as the receiver continues to learn the Lions offense.

"It actually helps out quite a bit," Durham said. "I might be confused about something and he can give me a term from Georgia that helps me out."

The Lions had interest Durham coming out college. They brought the 6-foot-6 receiver in for a visit before the 2011 NFL draft, but after selecting Young in the second round, the team didn't have a need for an additional receiver. Durham wound up going to the Seahawks in the fourth round.

"We had very good grades on him coming out of college and he ended up going to Seattle, then when he was available, brought him in knowing that he was going to give us a receiver with size," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "We've got Calvin, but to be able to have a receiver six-five on the outside that can build speed down the field, I think gives us another dimension that we haven't had."

As a senior at Georgia, Durham finished third in the nation, averaging 20.6 yards per reception. He gave some of the credit to former teammate, and current Cincinnati Bengals star receiver, A.J. Green for drawing away coverage.

"I caught some screens and was able to do some stuff with that," Durham said. "It always helps having a guy like A.J. Green opposite of you."

While on the practice squad, Durham has grown comfortable with all three receiver positions in the Detroit offense. How much playing time he will see against the Packers this Sunday remains to be seen, but outside of Johnson, there isn't a healthy receiver on the team more fluent in the scheme.

"I'll just bring whatever they want me to bring," Durham said. "Whether it's special teams, offense, catch 10 balls, catch no balls, block for Calvin, block for the running backs, I don't really care. I just want to win.